


Asgard

by Thursdays_Angel



Series: Picking Up the Pieces [5]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), Thor (Movies)
Genre: Closure, Fluff and Angst, Gen, Humor, Light Angst, Morgan Stark is a cutie, Not Avengers: Endgame (Movie) Compliant, Time Travel
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-15
Updated: 2019-07-15
Packaged: 2020-06-29 06:20:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,092
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19824301
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Thursdays_Angel/pseuds/Thursdays_Angel
Summary: Loki, Thor and Rocket travel back to the Asgard of 2012 to collect the Aether. It should be a simple sneak in, get what they need and get out. Unfortunately, things do not quite go as planned.





	Asgard

**Author's Note:**

> I'm not dead!
> 
> Sorry for the wait but unfortunately life got in the way again. That and my muse has been focused on a plot-bunny and decided that was more important than this next part. I think I'll need to get that out of my system next.
> 
> I've tagged Tony, Pepper and Morgan tough they're only there as a cameo really.
> 
> As much as I would like to continue on to the final part of the Endgame that might take awhile. I know what I want but I don't know how long it's going to take to hash it out. I have at least two plot-bunnies to work with so I'm hoping that I'll be able to work on it all at once. We'll see how life treats me.
> 
> As I've said before, I have no beta and all the mistakes are my own. Any glaring ones please let me know.
> 
> Enjoy!

**_Asgard_ **

Traveling through the Quantum Realm reminded Loki of travel through the Bifröst. They moved along the pathway, each team splitting up to complete their own mission. Suddenly his boots connected with solid ground and Loki found himself once more within Asgard’s dungeon.

Loki quickly threw up a spell to conceal them from Heimdall’s sight. It wouldn’t do any good for the watchman to spot them before they could complete their task.

“Woo, that was one hell of a ride,” Rocket commented as their suits returned to the watches.

Loki shrugged, nonchalant, “It was similar to using the Bifröst.” He turned to find Thor bent over trying to catch his breath. He went over to his brother and put a hand on his back, “Are you alright?”

“Yeah,” Thor said breathlessly, “dizzy.”

“He gonna be okay?” asked Rocket.

Loki helped Thor to sit against the wall and knelt down beside him. “Please tell me you didn’t drink before we left.”

“I didn’t drink,” Thor assured him. “I just…” He blinked and Loki could see him trying to clear his vision. Thor gave him a lopsided smile, “I probably shouldn’t have skipped lunch.”

Loki sighed, his head falling to Thor’s shoulder. “Brother I love you but you’re an idiot.” He looked around the dimly lit corridor. “The guards will be making their rounds. We shouldn’t stay here any longer than we have too.”

Thor took a few moments to gather himself before slowly standing. “I think I’m okay now.”

Loki stood as well. “Maybe I can sneak into the kitchens for something later but we really need to move.

The three of them made their way silently through the corridors. Light filtered in from a larger part of the dungeon. They paused when they heard the rhythmic ‘thwack’ of something hitting skin. They peered around the corner to find they had come out by Loki’s cell where inside, a younger version of himself was tossing a cup into the air and catching it.

“You look really bored,” Thor commented quietly.

“I was,” Loki replied. “I was also still working through all that had happened and sorting out which memories and desires were truly my own and which had been planted by Thanos. Most of what anyone saw when passing my cell was an illusion.”

Thor made a small noise of distress. Loki shot him a look; he did not need his younger self to notice them and begin to ask questions. Thor winced, looking apologetic. Loki motioned with his hand and they made their way across the cellblock as silently as they could.

Once they were safely away from any prying eyes and ears Thor said, “Jane’s room should be this way.”

Loki and Rocket followed Thor. Loki decided it would be prudent to cloak them all in invisibility, the less likely they were to be spotted by a passing guard or servant.

They finally came to a hallway where a short brunet stood just outside of a closed door. “That’s Jane,” Thor said just as she stepped inside.

Rocket nodded, having pulled himself up along the balcony railing. “All right. Here’s the deal,” he turned to Thor, holding up a small cylindrical device. “You’re gonna charm her and I’m gonna poke her with this thing,” he waved the device back and forth, “and extract the Reality Stone and get gone, lickety-split.”

Thor’s expression had gone blank again. Loki placed a hand on Thor’s arm. “Brother?” he questioned.

“I’ll be right back, okay?” Thor began to back away from them. “There’s a wine cellar, that’s just down there.” Thor gestured behind him, “Father used to keep huge barrels of ale. I’ll see if the cellar has a couple of—”

Loki caught Thor’s arm, “Thor—”

“Hey! Hey! Haven’t you had enough drink already?” Rocket interrupted.

Further down the hall the creek of another door opening made them all freeze. Loki pulled Thor behind the closest pillar, Rocket diving down by their feet. Thor’s breathing was becoming harsh and Loki could see the signs of the building panic attack. He cupped Thor’s face in his hands, “Breathe brother.”

Loki could see it took an enormous amount of effort on Thor’s part but his breathing began to slow. Muffled voices reached their ears but one rang out clearly to Loki and he sucked in a breath, feeling tears beginning to form.

Rocket had climbed back up on the railing and was peering out at the figures making their way down the opposite hallway. “Who’s the fancy broad?”

Loki had frozen against the pillar. He knew if he turned, if he saw her at all, he would break.

“It’s our mother,” Thor softly told Rocket. He looked past Loki to where Loki guessed their mother had gone. “She dies today.”

“Oh, that’s today?”

Thor began to back away from them again, grabbing at his coat. “I can’t do this. I can’t do this. I shouldn’t be here.” Loki watched him begin to flee, too stunned to react himself. “I shouldn’t have come. This was a bad idea.”

Rocket chased after him, grabbing at Thor’s heals. “Come here.”

Thor stopped and turned in a circle. “No, no, no. I think I’m having...” Thor’s breathing was harsh once more. Loki feared his brother would pass out. “I’m having a panic attack. I shouldn’t be here... this is... this is a bad—”

Loki finally pulled himself together enough to go to Thor.

“Get him under control,” Rocket hissed.

“Shut up,” Loki had half a mind to punt him. He reached Thor and stopped his movements. Loki was getting dizzy from watching Thor spin himself around. “Thor, Thor look at me.” He waited for Thor to meet his gaze. “We have to do this. You know more about what was happening now than I do. We _need_ you.”

“You think you’re the only one who lost people?” Rocket growled. “What do you think we’re doing here? I lost the only family I ever had. Quill, Groot, Drax, the chick with the antenna, all gone.”

“Rocket!”

“Now, I get you miss your Mom.” Rocket continued, ignoring Loki. “But she’s gone. Really gone. And there are plenty of people who are only kinda gone. But you can help them. So is it too much to ask that you pull yourself together, make schmoopy talk to Pretty Pants, and when she’s not looking, suck out the Infinity Stone and help me get my family back?”

“Excellent inspirational speech,” Loki said sarcastically, shooting a glare at the raccoon. “Just the perfect way to ensure his panic attack only gets worse.”

“I’m just telling it the way it is... Are you crying?”

Loki turned back to Thor only to see tears streaming down his cheeks. Thor was trembling badly and Loki feared Thor’s anxiety would cripple him. They needed to pull back for a moment and collect themselves. He turned to Rocket. “You know where Dr. Foster is, it might be easier if you snuck into her room to collect the Aether.”

Rocket scoffed, “Put everything on me huh. Thor’s the one who’s datin’ the broad. Why don’t he— The hell’d he go?”

Loki spun around to find the corridor empty. How in the Nine had Thor snuck away without Loki noticing? He muttered a curse. “You get the Aether, I’ll go find Thor.”

He left the raccoon without waiting for a reply. Loki made his way down the hallway towards the only destination he expected his brother to go. Contrary to what he’d said earlier, Loki knew Thor was nowhere near the wine cellar.

A short time later, Loki heard his brother cry out and quickly turned a corner then just as quickly hid behind another pillar the moment he did so.

“You’re better off leaving the sneaking to your brother.”

The sound of his mother’s voice was music to his ears. Loki bit down hard enough on his lip to draw blood. His whole body shuddered with the effort to stop his sudden tears.

“Yeah, I was simply just going for a walk,” Thor replied, “and uh...”

There was a hint of humor to their mother’s voice when she asked, “What are you wearing?”

“What, this?” Loki heard the rustling of fabric. “I always wear this. This is one of my favorites.”

Loki shook his head. Thor was a terrible liar. He peeked around the pillar to see their mother cupping Thor’s face in her hands. “What’s wrong with your eye?”

“Oh, my eye. That’s... you remember the Battle of Harokin? When I got hit in the face with a broadsword?”

Loki shook his head. Thor had been more than simply hit with a broadsword, he’d been under the influence of the Warlock’s Eye and it had taken a few hits to the head to subdue him long enough to break him free. Technically he hadn’t been hit _by_ the broadsword, he’d run into it when he wasn’t paying attention. He’d been lucky the man holding it had been pointing it skyward.

Frigga’s gentle voice reached his ears. “You’re not the Thor I know at all, are you?”

Thor replied just a little too quickly, “Yes, I am.”

“The future hasn’t been kind to you, has it?”

“I didn’t say I’m from the future,” Thor squeaked.

There was a little levity in her voice when she said, “I was raised by witches, boy. I see with more than eyes, and you know that.”

“We’re totally, _totally_ from the future!” Thor burst out.

“We?”

Loki found himself unable to move as his mother turned and spotted him. His eyes filled with tears, blurring her image. It felt like he’d been punched in the chest. His voice came out barely above a whisper, “Mama.”

Frigga’s expression softened and her lips turned up in a small smile. She held out her arms to him but Loki found he couldn’t move. They didn’t have time for this. They needed to collect the Aether, which meant that he and Thor needed to return to Dr. Foster’s room, rendezvous with Rocket and—

“Loki.”

Loki stepped back, pressing his lips together tightly. He couldn’t do this. He needed to get away because this was all going wrong. He had no right to be near her. It was his fault she would soon be killed.

_You might want to take the stairs to the left._

Loki’s stomach turned and he fought to keep himself from throwing up. A whimper escaped his throat. He felt dizzy, his vision was darkening and his chest hurt. Pain radiated out from his hands and knees. _Leave, damn you!_

Soft fingers brushed his cheeks. “Breathe dearheart.”

His breath left him like a punch. Loki’s vision slowly cleared. His mother was kneeling before him wiping tears from his cheeks. When had he lost his footing?

“The future hasn’t been kind to you either, has it?”

Loki lowered his head, closing his eyes once more. His whole body shook with the effort to keep himself under control. It was all for naught when she pulled him to her and cradled his head on her shoulder.

He could still hear the last words spoken to each other:

_Then am I not your mother?_

_You’re not._

It was as if flood gates had opened, “I’m sorry,” he gasped against her shoulder. “Mama I—” His breath shuddered in his chest. “I’m sorry I-I-I d-didn’t mean it.”

Frigga shushed him gently, “I know dearheart. I never took it to heart.”

Loki turned his head unable to hold back his sobs any longer. He wept against her shoulder, whole body shaking from his cries. Frigga’s fingers gently carded through his hair as she rocked him.

He felt Thor’s larger hand on his back. “We really need to talk to you,” Thor said.

“We can talk,” Frigga replied. She gently pushed Loki until he was sitting up again and wiped his tears from his cheeks once more. “We can talk,” she repeated.

“We—” Loki began.

“We have time,” Frigga stood, pulling Loki up with her. Her gaze traveled to both he and Thor. “Whatever you came here for can wait a little longer. Come,” she took each of their hands in her own and led them away.

* * *

Loki tried to pull himself together the whole walk to their mother’s chambers. It was hard, seeing her again, alive and well. It was even harder knowing that she would be gone before the end of the day. Loki sat on the sofa in her chambers, holding the glass of water she’d given him like a lifeline. Thor picked nervously at his coat as he shifted from foot to foot. It seemed that now they were here, neither of them knew what to say.

Frigga had watched both of them and Loki knew her gaze missed nothing. She pulled Thor to the sofa and sat herself between her two sons. “Now,” she began, “where do you wish to start?”

Loki took a large swallow of his water. Thor continued to fidget so much that the sofa shook. Frigga’s hand came to rest on Thor’s knee and he stopped shaking.

“So much has happened,” Thor said, “I don’t know where to even begin.”

“The beginning is always a good place,” quipped their mother.

Loki felt his lips pull up slightly. “Where would that even be? The last five years or… my fall from the Bifröst?”

“How about what has brought you here?” Frigga asked.

“We’ve come for the Aether,” Thor replied. “We need it to fix the future.”

“What do you know of the Infinity Stones?” Loki asked.

Frigga looked surprised. “They were created when the universe came into being. They hold immense power and can only be safely wielded by Celestials in their raw form. Why do you ask?”

“The Tesseract is one of them,” Thor said.

“Yes, your father originally hid it on Midgard to keep it out of the hands of the Mad Titan…” She trailed off. “Why do you ask?” she repeated.

Thor sighed, “Six years from now he will succeed in gathering them. He will use the Stones to wipe out half of all life in the universe then destroy them.”

“But the Stones cannot be destroyed.”

“Thanos uses the Stones to destroy them. We’re collecting them from different points in time to undo what he’s done.

Frigga was silent while she took in their words. “Time travel is very dangerous.”

“We know,” Thor said, a slight smirk on his lips. “Loki warned everyone with a flashy light show.”

“It was not flashy,” Loki protested.

“It warms my heart to see you two close once more.” said Frigga.

Loki sighed and leaned back against the couch. “A lot has happened but that is one thing I am glad to have come of it.”

“It isn’t all bad,” Thor added. “We have Tony and Pepper. Then there’s Morgan.”

Loki couldn’t help but smile at the thought of the three-year-old.

“Who is Morgan?” Frigga asked with a raised eyebrow.

Now Loki laughed, “Morgan is three-years-old. She’s Pepper and Tony’s daughter.”

“And she follows Loki around constantly. Once she sees Loki everyone else may as well not exist.” Thor said.

“You’re just jealous I’m the favorite uncle.”

“Oh,” Thor reached behind himself and pulled out his phone. “I have pictures.”

“Why do you have that?” Loki asked.

Thor shrugged as he pulled up the pictures to show their mother. “I forgot to take it out of my pocket.” He handed Frigga the phone. “Just use your finger to change the picture,” he instructed.

Loki watched an affectionate smile form on their mother’s lips as she scrolled through the pictures. Loki hadn’t realized his brother had taken so many photos. She paused in her scrolling when the image began to move.

* * *

_“Ki, wait for me!”_

_Loki stopped, allowing Morgan to catch up to him. Her dress restricting how fast she could run. She held her arms up once she finally reached him and Loki lifted her up. “Are you done collecting your treats?”_

_“Yeah.” She held out her small pail, “Daddy hold this.”_

_With an air of melodrama Tony took the pail. “Why don’t you make Loki hold it?”_

_“Cause he’s gotz me,” She replied as if it should have been obvious._

_Thor laughed, “She has you there.”_

_“Shut up or I’ll make sure he keeps you looking like a lab.”_

_“It is a good look for him,” Loki said while adjusting Morgan on his hip. “Although...”_

_“Don’t even go there,” Thor said. “I have pictures and I’m not afraid to use them.”_

_Loki scoffed. “Unlike you, that doesn’t bother me. Besides, I did tell her I’d let her see it.” To Morgan he asked, “What do you say? Do you want to see Thor in a dress?”_

_She pressed a finger to her lips and hummed in thought. “Can you do daddy too?”_

_“Aaaaaand we’re done.” Tony said. “There will be no putting me or Thor in a dress little missy.”_

_Morgan frowned for only a moment before her attention shifted again. “Where’s your crown?” she asked Loki._

_“My crown?”_

_“Yeah. Princes have crowns. Where’s yours? Youz a prince, right?”_

_“Ah,” with a flash of green his helm formed. He wore the one with the band around the back so his cat ears weren’t squished. “How’s this?”_

_Her eyes lit up. “That’s your crown?”_

_“It is. Thor’s has wings.”_

_“Really? Can I see?” Another shimmer of green and Thor’s helm appeared as well. His floppy blonde ears poked out beside the wings. Morgan giggled and turned back to Loki, reaching up to one of the horns. “I like yours better.”_

_Loki grinned smugly. “See brother,_ someone _likes my horns.” Loki’s brow furrowed, “Though Tony always seems to get excited about them too.”_

_“They’re ridiculous. It’s like you’re trying to compensate for something,” Tony said._

_“This coming from the man who has how many suits of armor?” Pepper asked._

“ _Actually, if you combine both my and Thor’s helms then you have what our father wore.”_

_“Ah, so it’s a family thing,” asked Tony._

_“I suppose you could say that. We both wanted to emulate Odin so when our helms were being designed Thor got the feathers and I the horns.”_

_“I can’t really say I could picture you with feathers.”_

_“Can I have one?” Morgan asked, pointing to Loki’s helm._

_“Like my horns?” he asked. “But Princess Zelda doesn’t have a crown like that.”_

_Morgan frowned as she looked down at her dress. “I needz a new costume.”_

_“Oh,” Loki laughed, “is that all?”_

_“If I can’t have it ‘cause I’m a princess then I can’t be a princess.”_

_“How about a prince instead?”_

_Morgan rolled her eyes. “I’m a_ girl _Ki.”_

_“Yes but it is Halloween. You can pretend to be a boy. I’m a boy and I can pretend to be a girl if I want to. Just like I’m pretending to be a cat,” his tail swayed behind him and he purred for a moment. “I’m not really a cat.”_

_“Oh okay but...” she trailed off. “I only gotz girl costume.”_

_Loki gasped dramatically. “Did you forget I made you a princess? A prince is no problem at all. I even know the perfect costume.” His seiðr flowed around her, changing her dress to a set of dark green leathers with a, smaller, horned helm on her head._

_Morgan gasped when she realized what she wore matched Loki. She reached up to feel along her shorter horns. “Look mommy, daddy. I gotz hornays like Ki!”_

* * *

Frigga handed Thor back the phone once the video stopped. “She wears that helm everywhere now,” Thor said with a shake of his head.

“That is quite adorable,” Frigga commented.

“That girl has everyone wrapped around her little finger, especially Loki. I swear he spoils her rotten.”

“I do not spoil her. Teach her how to get away with things, now that I’m guilty of.” Loki said. “And maybe how to con things from others too.”

“That’s extortion honey,” Frigga said, patting his knee. “As wonderful as that was we have gotten slightly off topic. This wasn’t what you wanted to speak to me about, was it?”

“No, it isn’t,” Thor said softly.

“I was trying to avoid this,” Loki said. Frigga raised an eyebrow at him and he winced slightly. “I don’t…” Loki sighed. “We were _supposed_ to limit as much contact as possible.” He stood, walking over towards the window to look out over Asgard. It truly was a beautiful sight. One that, after today, he’d never see again. Just like...

“I’m too much contact,” Frigga teased gently.

Loki folded his arms tightly, refusing to look back at them. “No but… Seeing you is both the best and worst thing that could have happened because… Now I have to say goodbye and I… I don’t know if I can do that.”

“I don’t want to do it either,” Thor said from his place on the couch. “But—”

“But what?” Loki asked, anger lacing his voice as an old wound ripped open.

Thor looked like he didn’t know what had caused Loki’s anger. He stood, “We’ve—”

Loki interrupted him again with a huff, turning away. “You are not about to say we’ve done this once already, are you?”

“We have.”

“No,” Loki spun around, pointing at Thor. “ _You_ have. _You_ were able to. _I-_ ” Loki’s eyes filled with tears again. Teeth clenched, he said, “ _I_ never got to say goodbye.” He laughed but there was no humor in it. “I didn’t find out until after the funeral and it wasn’t from either you or Odin. No, it was a guard who told me because the man felt sorry for me. _You_ didn’t come to me until _after_ and _only_ because you needed me to save your precious _Jane._ You didn’t care about me at all. I was the expendable monster only to be pulled out when you had need of me.”

Hurt flashed across Thor’s face. “I didn’t—”

_“She was my mother too!”_

Thor looked away. Frigga had stood, watching their exchange. She moved over to Loki, “Sweetheart.”

Loki backed away, wiping furiously at his eyes. “I can’t… We need to get the Aether and leave. Now.” He stepped past her and made for the door. He opened it with more force then necessary and nearly ran headlong into the person on the other side.

Odin stared back at him in disbelief, “Loki?”

“Shit.”

Frigga rushed forward, pulling both Loki and Odin into the room, securing the door behind them. Odin looked more confused than anything, his single eye looking back and forth between Loki and Thor. He turned to Frigga, “What is this?”

Their mother seemed unsure what to say.

“We came from eleven years in the future for the Aether so we can fix the devastation in our time,” said Loki matter-of-factly.

Thor made a choked noise behind him. Loki turned to glance at his brother. Thor looked like he was about to have a stroke. “Why would you say that?” Thor asked.

Loki shrugged, “This day just keeps getting better and better, so why not?”

Odin stepped closer to him, gaze scrutinizing. Loki forced himself not to react. He refused to be intimidated by the man. This was an Odin who had not so long ago thrown him into a cell to be forgotten. This man hated him.

Odin’s gaze softened and a small smile crossed his lips. “You have broken free of your bonds.”

That was not what Loki had expected to hear at all. “What?” he asked dumbly.

Odin gestured for them to return to the sitting area. “Your mother was the first to spot it when you first returned to Asgard.”

“Wait,” Thor interjected. “You’re just going to believe what he said?”

“I was wondering when you were going to start calling me a liar again,” Loki said, leaning against the wall, arms folded across his chest.

Thor ran a hand through his hair. “That’s not what I meant.”

“You think your mother is the only one who sees beyond what your eyes can tell you?” Odin asked. “I could see you were not of this time the moment I saw you.”

“I suppose it’s nice to know you don’t plan on throwing me in a cell again. Two of me down there might be awkward,” Loki said. “Not that you could keep me there.” He made for the door. “We need to leave,” he said to Thor. He reached the door then stopped. “What did you mean by broken bonds?”

Frigga came up behind him, placing a hand on his back. “Please come back and sit. There is much we need to talk about.”

Loki remained where he was but did turn to glare at Odin. “What did you mean?” he repeated. “Did you know? Did you throw me in that cell knowing I was being manipulated?”

“I did, but not for the reasons you are thinking.”

Loki scoffed, “Right.”

“When Heimdall first saw you on Midgard we were overjoyed to know you were alive,” Frigga said, rubbing his back. “Your actions there though,” she shook her head, “were so out of character, we knew not what to make of them. When Thor brought you back from Midgard I could see this dark aura surrounding you. I informed your father before you were taken to the throne room.”

“I don’t understand,” Thor said, looking between their parents. “If you knew he was being manipulated then why didn’t you say anything? Why put him in the dungeon?”

“It’s easier to bury the monster than to face what it’s become,” Loki said.

“ _Stop_ calling yourself that!”

Loki moved back towards the window and looked outside once more. His brother would never understand. He would never have to live with poisonous blood in his veins. Even after his illness Loki still could not stand his Jötunn form. Centuries of fear and hatred towards them was not going to suddenly disappear. Thor’s acceptance of Loki’s origins continued to baffle him. Besides, he’d never once heard either of his parents refute it.

“The dungeons are the most secure and most heavily warded in all of Asgard.” Odin said, breaking into his thoughts. “I had no way of knowing the extent of the control that was had over you. That was also why I said what I did. I wanted your manipulator to believe I had truly disowned you. I had hoped the warding would break the hold they had on you and also keep them from taking control once more.”

Loki couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “Why bother, when we both know you have no intention of ever letting me out. You’ve never been to the dungeon, how would you ever notice a difference?”

“I have been to visit you there every day.”

“Now who’s the liar?” Loki sneered.

“I know you will not believe me and you would not have noticed me since I visit at night, while you are asleep.”

Loki watched Odin. He seemed sincere but he just didn’t know. It was hard for him to believe the man before him cared at all. The Odin of his youth he did remember being a loving father. _When did it all change?_

Odin gestured to another doorway, “Come with me to the solar. I would speak with you alone.”

Loki hesitated, he wasn’t sure he wanted to be alone with him. He did not want to get into an argument with him; they didn’t have time for that. On the other hand, he was curious of what his father had to say. Damn his curiosity!

Steeling himself, Loki followed his father. He caught Thor’s worried look but waved him off. Maybe, if he were lucky, he could finally get some long awaited answers.

* * *

Thor watched his father and brother disappear through the door. He worried about what they might discuss. Neither he nor Loki had ever really spoken about Odin’s death. He knew Loki had many unresolved issues with their father. _Please no bloodshed,_ he thought.

“You are worried,” his mother said.

Thor nodded. “Loki is still very angry at him.”

Frigga sighed, returning to her seat. “He has every right to be.” She patted the seat beside her. “Come sit.”

Thor reluctantly did. Now that he was alone with her, he wasn’t sure what to do.

“There was something you wanted to talk to be about,” she said, “that I think you didn’t want to say in front of your brother.”

Thor sighed, it was true, but only because he didn’t want to argue with Loki about fault. “He doesn’t like me blaming myself for what happened but… I can’t help it. Because of me, Thanos won and half the universe vanished in the blink of an eye.” He shifted in his seat so he could look at her. “Do you know what happened to him? What Thanos did?”

His mother looked away, folding her hands in her lap. “No, but since you say it was the Mad Titan who held your brother I can only imagine. It breaks my heart to think of it.”

“Thanos tortured him, that’s why he was so different when he appeared on Midgard. They’d used the scepter on him until he could no longer tell what memories were his and which ones had been made up. The same thing with his desires. He finally told us what was done to him a couple years ago and… I don’t know how he’s still functioning.

“Your brother is stronger than he lets on.”

Thor nodded in agreement. “He is. I don’t know where I would be if Tony hadn’t found him.”

Frigga’s brow furrowed, “What do you mean?”

Thor sighed. “I’m not sure how much I can tell you without _actually_ telling you the future. A lot has happened but we had to flee Asgard. On our way to Midgard, we were attacked by Thanos. Loki gave up the Tesseract to save my life. Because Loki had failed to get it originally, Thanos snapped his neck. I thought he was dead and I was unable to get to him before our ship blew up.

“I went to Niðavellir to have a weapon forged to kill Thanos. The battle had already begun by the time I arrived. I fought Thanos. I had the perfect opportunity for the killing blow but I missed on purpose. I wanted him to suffer for what he’d done to Loki.”

“That is nothing to be ashamed of. Loki is your brother,” she chuckled lightly, “you have been protective of him from the moment you first saw him.”

“Thanos gloated and snapped his fingers. He disappeared and so did half the population.” Thor leaned forward, resting his arms on his thighs. “I was so, _so_ happy when Tony brought Loki back. I’d thought I’d lost him for good.” He took a deep breath. “A couple of months after the Snap we found where Thanos had gone. A bunch of us who had fought him went to confront him and reverse what he’d done.” Thor shook his head. “He’d already destroyed the Stones. I don’t remember what anyone said or even swinging Stormbreaker. His head was over there... His body over there... What was the point? I was too late. I was just standing there. Some idiot with an axe.”

Frigga ran a hand down his back in a soothing manor.”You’re no idiot. You’re here aren’t you? Seeking counsel from the wisest person in Asgard.”

“I guess, yeah.”

“Idiot? No.” She shrugged, “A failure? Absolutely.”

Thor flinched. “That’s a little bit harsh.”

Her hand stopped and she wrapped her arm around his shoulders. “You do know what that makes you? Just like everyone else.”

Thor sighed, his shoulders sagging. “I’m not supposed to be like everyone else, am I?”

“Everyone fails at who they are supposed to be, Thor. The measure of a person, of a hero, is how well they succeed at being who they are.”

Thor smiled, leaning into her touch. “I really missed you, Mom.”

She smiled at him. “Are you happy?” she asked. “You and Loki, are you two happy?”

That was a hard question to answer but… Thor thought about it for a moment. He had his brother, their family and what remained of their people had a home. Was it perfect? Not by a long shot but things could have turned out much worse.

“Yes, I think so,” he replied. “We both have our bad days but I really think we are.”

“I’m glad. You both deserve some happiness after everything you said has happened.”

Thor looked at the door his brother and father had disappeared through. “You don’t think they’re trying to kill each other, do you?”

Frigga laughed gently, “No, I think they’re finally talking like they should have long ago.”

* * *

Once they were out on the solar, Odin closed the door behind them and gestured for him to sit on one of the benches. Loki took a moment to look at an unrestricted view of Asgard. He knew it was impossible but he wished there was a way to bring back the Realm Eternal in their time. He would have loved to bring his new family here to see it.

Turning from the view, he sat as far away from Odin as the bench would allow. He truly had no way of knowing how this conversation was going to go. Loki waited for the berating to start.

“I owe you an apology,” Odin began.

That was the last thing Loki had expected to hear. He couldn’t help but stare at Odin in disbelief. “Y... You what?” he stammered.

Odin’s lips turned up slightly. “I owe you an apology,” Odin repeated. “I have failed you and I don’t know how I will ever be able to earn your trust again.”

Loki looked away; sure he had to be hallucinating. Perhaps he was dreaming. That would explain everything. His father _never_ admitted when he was wrong. Yes, that was exactly what was happening. He was dreaming, they hadn’t entered the Quantum Realm yet. He was still in bed at the Avengers facility and apparently having one _Hel_ of a dream.

His father’s voice broke into his thoughts. “I have not been the father you needed me to be. When you needed me the most, when you had questions that required answers, I failed to be there for you. I left you with a burden that you should not have had to endure.”

“You fell into the Odinsleep,” Loki said, “you couldn’t prevent that.”

“While that is true, I should have handled our encounter in the Vault better than I had.” His father twisted to face him fully. “Your whole world had just turned upside down. Everything you knew about yourself was being brought into question. There are things I should have told you sooner, I know this, and yet I felt as if it hadn’t mattered.”

Loki scoffed, “Of course telling me I’m a monster didn’t matter, why should it? Did you enjoy seeing if you could tame me?”

Odin gripped his chin and turned Loki’s face to meet his single eye. “Do not _ever_ call yourself that. You are no monster and I will not have you or anyone else say such. I didn’t _tame_ you either.” Odin let go of his chin. “There were many reasons I never told you where you were born and yes, for a fleeting moment I thought that I could unite our two realms through you but that thought never left Jötunehim.”

“Then why didn’t mother say anything?”

Odin sighed, “You would have to ask her that.”

“Were you _ever_ going to tell me?”

His father was silent for a moment. “Your mother and I thought about it when you were very young. Given the Ǽsir-Jötunn War had just ended, sentiment towards the Jötunn was quite prejudiced. We did not want to risk your safety so we thought it better to limit the knowledge to as few as possible.”

“Who else knew?”

“Heimdall and Eir were the only ones who knew the truth.”

That made Loki feel a little bit better, he supposed. “But why didn’t you ever tell me once I’d gotten older?”

“Honestly, the thought never occurred to me. It hadn’t seemed important.”

Loki gaped at the man, “Not important?”

“Let me finish. As I said, there were many reasons why your mother and I never told you. First and foremost was your safety. We did not want the people of Asgard to turn their hatred of the Jötunn on you.”

“Why not? They would have been justified.”

One of his father’s eyebrows rose. “Justified? To take their hatred and prejudice out on a child who had nothing to do with the war would have been justified?”

“When you put it that way…”

“We tried to keep any disparaging speech against the Jötunn away from you and Thor. When I told you stories of the war, I made sure not to paint the giants in a negative light. Though try as we might, we couldn’t prevent you from hearing more graphic war tales.”

“Our tutors were quite detailed.”

“Something your mother and I were not happy about.” Odin sighed. “Another reason we hadn’t told you was… How could we tell you your birth parents had left you to die due to something you had no control over? You were born small, what would amount to the average size for an Ǽsir baby. Among the Jötunn, size is everything. Laufey and Farbauti would have seen it as shameful for having had a tiny child.

“Among the Jötunn, having a child born small is seen as something dishonorable, a sign that their gods were displeased with them. Laufey and Farbauti would have been in a difficult position as to admit they had not had a normal sized child would have been seen as a weakness. Under normal circumstances Farbauti would have committed ritual suicide due to her shame.”

“You said she would have. So my birth mother is still alive?”

“Laufey did not let her, though she tried. If she had succeeded, it would have told the rest of the Jötunn of his weakness. He did not want a challenge for power. She did live long enough birth two more sons. She finally succumbed to an illness many years later.”

Loki’s brow furrowed. He had two more brothers. He shook the thought away. No, Thor was his only brother. “How do you know this?” From what he could remember, there had been no contact between the two realms after the treaty was enacted.

“I had Heimdall keep an eye on them. Part of me feared Laufey would demand your return.”

“Would you have given me to him had he done so?”

Fire burned in Odin’s single eye. “Never,” he said venomously. “Laufey lost all rights to you the moment he left you in that temple.”

Loki was silent as he thought about what Odin had just told him. It was hard to fathom, that anyone would have fought so fiercely to protect a Jötunn monster but the look in his father’s eye told him just how hard Odin would have battled. Even perhaps, how hard he already had. It had to have been difficult to keep such a thing secret for so long.

“How did no one ever suspect I was not your child?”

Odin shrugged, “There was nothing to suspect. You are as much our son as Thor is. We may not share blood but that changes nothing.”

“Why not? I would think someone would have noticed a blue baby.”

“You weren’t in your Jötunn form.”

He should have known that. “You changed me.”

“Not at all,” said Odin with a shake of his head. “You are a natural shapeshifter Loki. You changed your form the moment I picked you up. I was so surprised you could even do that. You could not have been more than a day old when I found you.”

“So I’ve been pathetic since birth.”

Odin chuckled. “All babies are pathetic Loki.” He sobered a little. “You were cold, starving and I doubt you had been held any longer than it took to take you to the temple. I rushed you back here.” He smiled fondly, “your mother refused to let anyone else hold you for your first month here nor let you out of her sight. She had miscarried shortly before I brought you home. Eir was the only one beside myself who knew. Your mother had always known we would have two sons. When I put you into her arms she had known right away you were always meant to be ours.”

This was going nothing like he had expected. Loki felt tears form and he tried his hardest to keep them from falling. “I don’t understand,” he eventually said. “I thought... I’d thought there was something wrong with me. Ever since I discovered what was, I’ve had this fear that this evil inside of me would take over.”

“What evil? Do you truly believe you are innately evil because you are Jötunn?”

“Aren’t I?”

The look of disbelief on Odin’s face was almost amusing. “No. No, of course not.”

He thought back to when he had first learned of his origins. Everything he had done had been to prove his poison blood had no sway over him, that he was and would always be loyal to Asgard. “Then why did you tell me no?”

His father laid a hand on his shoulder. “You mean when you hung over the Bifröst?”

Loki nodded.

His father sighed and to Loki he looked every one of his many thousands of years. “That was another way I failed you. While I was in the Odinsleep I could still see what was going on in Asgard. I watched as those who should have been loyal to you betrayed you the first moment they were able.

“You were doing the best you could in a difficult situation though your method of trying to prevent a war could have been handled better. I can’t say I appreciate you having lured Laufey to his death.”

“It served him right.”

“I will not argue that point but it should not have been you to take his life. I never wanted that for you. I have always wanted you to be happy and instead I watched as the world around you crumbled at your feet. When you set the Bifröst on Jötunheim and you and Thor began to fight, I forced myself from the Odinsleep. I rushed as fast as I could to you but by the time I arrived the Bifröst had shattered and my sons were falling into the Void. It took all of my strength just to stay awake and keep you both from continuing to fall. When I said ‘no’ it wasn’t because I was disappointed. It was shock because I could not believe you had felt you had needed to prove yourself.”

Loki stood and moved away from the bench. “I have always needed to prove myself. I’ve never lived up to your expectations.” He turned back to look at his father. “You had always told Thor and me that we were born to be kings and yet I was always pushed back into the shadows. I was never good enough.”

Odin stood as well. “Loki, I have always been proud of you. Whenever you mastered a new spell, you were always so excited to show me. When you stopped, I thought you had felt you’d outgrown such things. You are the most powerful Seiðrmar in all the Realms. I had hoped that by encouraging you and you showing off your skill that the stigma for men practicing seiðr would begin to lessen.”

“I thought you were ashamed that I was _ergi_ and not more like Thor.”

“You are not ergi and I have never thought of you as such. Your brother’s talent is in his physical strength and while you do not match him in that aspect, your strength is in your mind.”

Loki scoffed. “I imagine my strengths just as I imagine my slights.”

“You misunderstand me,” his father said, moving to stand before him. “You are a brilliant strategist. If it came down to a battle of the minds, you would run circles around your brother.

“In some ways I know you better than you think. You prefer subtle manipulation behind the scenes as opposed to the spotlight. You act as if you want to be the center of attention but that is only a front since that is what you think others expect of you. Tell me son, do you really want to be King?”

Loki shook his head. “I’ve never wanted the throne.”

“It is too confining. You would not have the time to pursue your studies.”

It was more than that. What his father had said was true. He did not really enjoy being the center of attention. “All I’ve ever wanted was to be seen as worthy of it as Thor.”

“And you are. I do not know what the future holds for you or your brother. I don’t know what challenges you will face but so long as you are together you can accomplish anything.”

It had been so long since he had received anything like praise from his father. It felt... good, but, “I have always been defined by Thor.”

“If that is the case then Thor is just as defined by you.”

“Yes, the Hero and the Villain.”

Odin groaned, lowering his head. It was so out of character that Loki did a double take. “I swear you are being purposefully obtuse.”

“Well, I did learn from the best.”

“It is not a trait you learned from me.”

“Are you calling mother obtuse?”

His father blinked at him before beginning to laugh. “Never. I know better than to say such a thing.” His eye twinkled with mirth as he looked at Loki. “We should probably return before your brother begins to think we are out here murdering each other however there is something else I want to say to you before we do.” Gaze sobering he placed his hands on Loki’s shoulders. “I am so very proud of you. You may have done things I did not like but those are so few compared to what you have accomplished. You are free and if you remember nothing else of me remember that _I love you._ I always have and nothing will ever change that.”

Loki’s chest tightened and the tears he had valiantly held at bay finally began to fall. He wiped them away. That knowledge hurt just as badly now as it had on that cliff-side in Norway so many years ago. A part of him had felt his father only said it before because he was dying. Now though, Loki could truly believe it. With a shaky voice he said, “I love you too papa.”

His father pulled him into a hug. Loki embraced him just as fiercely. He’d thought, after everything, there was no way he could ever forgive his parents for what they had done but he realized that forgiveness had come long ago.

They pulled apart and Loki took a moment to pull himself together. He wiped his eyes once more then followed his father back to where his mother and brother were waiting.

* * *

They returned to the Queen’s sitting room to find Frigga and Thor laughing. Loki committed the sound of his mother’s laughter to memory. How he wished they could remain here longer.

Thor was the first to spot them. His gaze moved back and forth between them. “Everything alright?” he asked.

“We didn’t kill each other, if that’s what you mean,” Loki quipped.

“You see,” their mother said to Thor, “I told you they would be fine.”

He and his father shared a look after which, Loki began to chuckle.

“What’s so funny?” Thor asked.

Loki shook his head, “Nothing. Just something father said.”

Thor looked a bit surprised at Loki’s use of the word ‘father’. Loki was a bit surprised himself. It felt good to say it again. For the first time since the disaster that was Thor’s first coronation, Loki felt like he truly was part of this family again. It was a shame it would not last. He glanced at his brother. They may be orphans in their time but their family had grown to include Tony, Pepper and Morgan. A lot had changed but they weren’t alone.

“I should return to the Council,” Odin said, the expression on his face clearly showing just how much he looked forward to it.

“Why did you come here?” Loki asked. There was no way his father could have known they were here.

Their father’s gaze traveled over to Thor. “I’d come here to talk to your mother about you.”

“Me?” Thor asked. “What had I done?”

Something clicked in Loki’s mind. “Weren’t you dating Dr. Foster at this time?”

“Yes.”

Loki started laughing again. To his father he asked, “Did you come to mother to complain about Thor dating a mortal?” Odin’s cheeks darkened slightly, confirming Loki’s suspicions. “You did!”

Thor’s jaw dropped in disbelief. “Why would you complain about that?”

Frigga patted Thor’s shoulder. “You have been waxing poetic about her ever since you returned from Midgard with her.”

“It has been quite maddening,” Odin said.

Thor looked at Loki, obviously wanting help. Loki held up his hands. “Don’t look at me. You do tend to become very annoying when you have a new love interest.”

“I do not,” Thor protested.

Frigga continued to pat his shoulder. “You do sweetie.”

Loki felt his chest tighten again. This was what he had missed the most about his family. It was going to be terribly hard to say goodbye. “Oh,” Loki exclaimed, “Thor give me your phone.”

Suspicion crossed Thor’s face, “Why?”

Loki held out his hand. “Just give it to me.”

Thor did reluctantly. Loki unlocked it and pulled up app he wanted, moving to stand in front of everyone. He held up the phone, adjusting it to where he wanted then used his seiðr to keep the phone floating in place.

Thor seemed to finally catch on to what Loki was doing. His eyes lit up and he pulled their parents to stand by him.

“What are you doing?” Odin asked.

“You’ll see,” Thor said.

Once Loki was sure he had the timing right, he quickly moved over to where the others were standing. “Look at the phone and smile.”

Their parents shared confused looks before doing what Loki said. There were a couple quick flashes from the phone and when it was done, Loki retrieved it. He couldn’t keep the smile from his lips as he showed their parents the photos he had just taken.

A sudden commotion from the hallway drew everyone’s attention. Yelling could be heard along with the tell-tale sign of running feet. The door flew open to admit Rocket. Honestly, up until that moment, Loki had forgotten about the raccoon.

“Thor, Loki! I got it!” Rocket exclaimed, holding up the cylinder. He paused, gaze taking in everyone’s surprised expressions. “You must be Mom,” he said to Frigga. To Odin, “And uh… Dad?”

Odin looked at them both with a raised eyebrow.

“Oh no, that is _not_ my fault,” Loki said, hands raised, “that’s _all_ Thor.” Thor smacked him good-naturedly.

“Yeah… Look I got the thing,” Rocket said, waving the cylinder again. “Come on, we got to move.”

Unfortunately, he was right. Loki looked to his parents and the thought of having to leave was a physical ache. He didn’t want to go.

“Ma, I have to tell you something.” Thor said.

Frigga shook her head, “No, son. You don’t. You’re here to repair your future, not mine.”

“But this is about your future,” Thor protested.

_Damn the consequences,_ Loki thought. “He’s right, you need to know—”

“It’s none of our business,” Odin said.

“But—”

Odin held up a hand. “You know you cannot tell us. Our futures are not for us to know.”

“I wish we had more time,” said Thor.

Their mother took Thor’s hand into her own. “No, this was a gift. And you’re going to be the man you’re meant to be.”

“I love you, Mom.”

“I love you. And eat a steak.” She turned from Thor to Loki. “Come here.”

Loki embraced his mother, hugging her tightly. “I love you mama.”

“I love you too sweetie.”

“Come on.” Rocket said in exasperation. “We gotta go.”

Loki reluctantly let her go and turned to his father. “Thank you, for telling me what you did.”

“It is something I should have done long ago,” Odin replied. “Remember what I said. I am proud of you.” His gaze traveled between him and Thor. “Both of you.”

From beside her husband, Frigga whispered, “Goodbye.”

Rocket adjusted his watch and Loki hesitantly did the same. The raccoon began to count down, “Three... two...”

“No, wait!” Thor exclaimed suddenly.

Loki was confused at first until Thor held out his hand and closed his eyes. Loki felt a wave of apprehension flow through him. Though he was confident of what the outcome would be, he feared his brother’s reaction should it be different.

Confused, Rocket asked, “Wh… what am I looking at?”

Frigga smiled, “Oh, sometimes it takes a second.”

There was a metallic hum coming closer to them. Loki could spot the hammer in the distance, coming closer. Mjölnir’s hilt slapped against Thor’s palm. Thor opened his eyes and stared in shock at the hammer. “I’m still worthy,” he said in awe.

Loki gripped Thor’s shoulder with a smile. “You really doubted that?”

Thor’s returning smile was the most genuine Loki had seen in a long time. They turned back to their parents, “Goodbye.”

“Take care of each other,” Odin said.

“Of course,” Thor said. “Goodbye Mom, Dad.”

Loki held his gaze firmly on his parents as his Quantum Suit enveloped them. They had accomplished what they had come to Asgard to do. Their trip to the Realm Eternal hadn’t gone at all as planned but for Loki, that was alright. He’d finally gotten answers to questions he’d never had the chance to ask. He may have been drawn into the Quantum Realm away from them, but the image of his parents smiling faces and loving gazes would forever be held close to his heart.


End file.
